


Trying Not to Fall in Love

by Elyra_the_Grey



Category: Storm Hawks
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-21
Updated: 2015-10-20
Packaged: 2018-04-27 09:35:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5043199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elyra_the_Grey/pseuds/Elyra_the_Grey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aerrow is struggling to deal with mixed signals from a certain Dark Ace who's making his life even more complicated than it already is. Is this some sinister plan? Or is Dark Ace really trying to win Aerrow over?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Aerrow raised one of his blades, the glowing blue edge halting the downward sweep of Dark Ace's smoldering red blade, his equally smoldering red eyes locked with Aerrow's piercing green ones. A predatory smile graced Dark Ace's lips as he took in the raw concentration in the Sky Knight's gaze.

For an instant they were still, locked together, close enough to feel the heat radiating from their opponent's body. Then Aerrow brought his free blade into play, sweeping it in towards Dark Ace's unguarded midsection. Dark Ace stepped back, bringing his blade down and sweeping Aerrow's aside. In a flash they were at each other's throats, parrying and slashing in a frenzy of red and blue sparks.

Dark Ace's skimmer shuddered as a stray blot from a Cyclonian skimmer whizzed by, but neither fighter acknowledged it, too absorbed with their personal battle, the rest of the world dissolving into a mere murmur, background noise at best. They had eyes only for each other in that most intensely personal of engagements: battle.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Storm Hawks were similarly engaged in combat with the rest of the Cyclonian forces.

Finn's skimmer had already been sliced in half by Ravess, and he was back-to-back with Junko on his skimmer, leveling bolt after bolt of energy into the Cyclonian skimmers, which were zipping around in alarming numbers.

Junko's knucklebusters were activated, and he was smashing any Cyclonian he could get said knuckles on, as well as fending off Snipe, who was relentlessly going after him with his mace, screaming and raining blow after blow upon the poor Wallop.

Piper was on the Condor with Stork and Radarr, frantically trying to remove a seemingly endless amount of leech crystals that Ravess had so considerately tossed through several holes she made in the hull, cursing the Cyclonian archer under her breath as she worked. I hate leech crystals. Next chance I get, I'm tossing some of these onto HER carrier ship. See how she likes 'em!

Radarr was helping Piper, having been knocked off of Aerrow's skimmer earlier and rescued by Piper before she returned to the Condor to remove the leech crystals. He was anxious to be at Aerrow's side, but realized that Piper needed his help with the leech crystals more than Aerrow, who was already fighting with Dark Ace on his skimmer, and not in immediate need of his own skimmer and co-pilot, both of which were safely aboard the Condor, Aerrow having sent his skimmer at a slow glide into the Condor's hangar bay before leaping onto Dark Ace's skimmer.

Stork was firing on the Cyclonian fighters and attempting to keep the Condor airborne and away from enemy fire. He was also muttering a litany of "We're doomed, we're doomed, this can only end in tragedy" under his breath. Apparently the sudden arrival of such a large quantity of Cyclonians immediately signaled doom for the Storm Hawks. The leech crystals onboard sapping the Condor's energy were not helping his state of mind. First the Condor will run out of power, sending us plummeting out of the sky! Then the Cyclonians will follow us down after picking off Aerrow, Finn, and Junko. If any of us survive the fall, which is unlikely, they'll kill us all, or take us back to Cyclonia, where we'll be tortured for an eternity! Doom! Needless to say, Stork was not very optimistic about their chances of coming out of this battle alive.

Back atop Dark Ace's skimmer, the two rivals were still locked in heated combat, exchanging blow after blow with exact precision in stunning displays of skill.

A stray Cyclonian bolt grazed the skimmer, throwing the two combatants off-balance. Dark Ace recovered first, sweeping Aerrow's feet out from under him, flipping the young Sky Knight onto his back and following him as he went down.

Aerrow suddenly found himself on his laying on his back, the hard metal of Dark Ace's skimmer against his back a sudden shock. He raised his twin blades just in time to catch Dark Ace's simmering red blade as it's wielder came down on top of Aerrow with a downward swing, straddling Aerrow's hips and putting more force behind his blade. Aerrow's arms burned with the strain of holding back Dark Ace's attack from such an awkward position. He clenched his teeth and glared defiantly up at Dark Ace.

Dark Ace smirked at the fiery defiance in Aerrow's beautiful green orbs. Oh how he loved that look, the sheer passion it evoked in him giving him an extra burst of energy, and he put even more power behind his blade, shifting to gain a more stable base. Noticing the heat between his legs, he suddenly became aware of the position he was in, the fact that he was On. Top. Of. Aerrow. Straddling. Him. His smirk evolved into something more sinister, and he ran his tongue across his lips, grinding his hips against the Sky Knight trapped beneath him. Mmmm. This certainly has potential.

Aerrow watched apprehensively as Dark Ace's smirk became...something else. Did he just...lick his lips? No, I must have imagined it. The Dark Ace seemed to be processing something, and Aerrow frantically tried to figure out what he'd discovered. Then he felt Dark Ace grind his hips against him...Wait...Grind? Yes, definitely grinding. Confused, Aerrow squirmed beneath the Cyclonian commander, attempting to escape before he started thinking more about exactly what Dark Ace was doing, and why.

Dark Ace felt Aerrow squirming beneath him, easily reading the confusion in his eyes. Licking his lips again, he clenched his legs, locking his knees against Aerrow's sides. Using Aerrow's momentary lapse in concentration, he swept aside his twin blades, leaving Aerrow defenseless and trapped beneath him.

Aerrow was now well and truly on the path to panic. In his confusion, he had allowed himself to be disarmed, leaving him weaponless. He dismissed Dark Ace's apparent 'seduction' as a ploy to put him off his guard, and he was frustrated at himself for falling for it. On the other hand, I can rule out the fact that Dark Ace may have been genuinely attempting to molest me. Reassured of his opponent's motives, Aerrow began searching for a way out from under Dark Ace, hopefully before he sliced his head off. Maybe if I pull the thruster gear into the red zone. If I stretch I think I can reach it.

Dark Ace frowned, absentmindedly setting his blade off to the side. It was clear that Aerrow was no longer paying attention to him, his beautiful eyes trained elsewhere. Maybe he should make his intentions clearer...

Aerrow was just reaching for the thruster gear when he felt strong hands encircle both of his wrists, pinning them above his head. He tensed as a warm weight settled across his stomach and chest. Eyes snapping forward, Aerrow was met with Dark Ace's burning red orbs, dark with...Lust? Oh God, please don't be lust! Wait! Is he laying on me! Is something wrong with him! Did he just get shot in the back, is that why he's laying on me? Is he trying to squish me? "Um, Dark Ace, c-can you please get off of me? You're making me kind of uncomfortable here. Shouldn't you be, oh, I don't know, killing me?"

Dark Ace grinned wickedly, "Oh, but I'm not uncomfortable at all, quite the opposite in fact. I think I'll stay like this for a little longer. Killing you can come later. It's been a while since I've had some fun." Dark Ace licked his lips suggestively, leaning in toward Aerrow's face, grin widening as Aerrow paled considerably.

Aerrow was frozen. He's not...He wouldn't...No. There's no way he's going to...kiss me? Confused and beginning to panic, he turned his face away from Dark Ace, closing his eyes and wriggling fiercely, freezing as he felt something latch onto his throat. Something warm, and wet. Something that seemed to be...sucking...on...him. Holy crap. Is Dark Ace sucking on my neck? That's it, this is a dream. Er, nightmare. This isn't real. I'm on the Condor, in my bunk, dreaming...Er, having a nightmare. If I just open my eyes, I'll wake up.

Aerrow opened his eyes, and was met with a close-up view of Dark Ace sucking...on...his...neck. That doesn't prove anything. Maybe I need to do something else to wake up. Yeah, that must be it. Unless...

A sudden sharp pain in his neck startled him. Not a dream! Oh God, that means this is reality. I need to get out from under Dark Ace before this gets out of hand. Realizing that Dark Ace didn't seem to be stopping, Aerrow thrashed about, bucking, and trying to get away, trying not to acknowledge the heat building in his midsection.

Dark Ace sucked at Aerrow's neck, pinching that sinfully silky skin between his teeth, growling as he felt the lithe form startle and start to thrash beneath him, bucking and struggling violently.

"Get off of me, Dark Ace, that's going too far! I'm not in the mood for your trickery!" Aerrow punctuated this statement by planting a foot in Dark Ace's stomach, throwing him off of him and backwards, onto the other end of the skimmer.

Aerrow retrieved his blades, sheathed them, kicked the thruster gear on Ace's skimmer, and exited the vehicle, opening his glider to land behind an unwary Cyclonian fighter, tipping him out of his skimmer and temporarily claiming it as his own before flying off to take on more Cyclonians, ignoring the stinging from the bite on his neck, which was bleeding, and the throbbing heat in his chest.

Dark Ace lay stunned as his own skimmer took off away from the battlefield beneath him, nearly launching him into the sky in the process. He had not been expecting that kick, to his stomach, or the thruster gear, and struggled to maintain control of his dignity and vehicle, pulling his skimmer to a halt a short distance from the field of battle. Damn that Sky Knight can pack a good kick. Makes me feel like finding out what else he's good at. More...carnal...activities...But I'll have time for that later, we run into each other often enough.

Dark Ace winced as he straightened in his seat, turning his attention to his battered forces. Ravess was slowing down, her skimmer lilting to the right, obviously damaged. Probably by that blonde idiot. Snipe was nowhere to be seen. Most likely already defeated and hauled back to the carrier. Moron. The regular Cyclonian troops were considerably lessened, and becoming fewer as he watched. Damn weaklings. On the Storm Hawk's side, the Condor was picking off Cyclonians like flies, no longer suffering from leech crystals. Their archer was unconscious behind the Wallop, who was smashing through the Cyclonians with ease. His skimmer, however, appeared to be on the verge of falling apart. And Aerrow...Aerrow was a force of nature, a beautiful work of art. He handled that Cyclonian skimmer as if it were an extension of his body, twisting and spinning in a deadly dance, cutting through the Cyclonians with grace and precision, twin blades glowing a pure blue, searing through enemy skimmers with ease. Dark Ace found himself entranced. God, he's beautiful. So deadly, so precise, so passionate. I want him. I need to have him. I want to feel that fire beneath me. I want to see that passion in his emerald eyes. I want to make him moan. I want to make him mine, to shatter that innocence, to ravish that determination.

Aerrow was making a point of not looking at Dark Ace, distracting himself with Cyclonian troops, losing himself in the rhythm of battle, but he couldn't keep from sneaking little glances, and what he saw confused him. Dark Ace was just hovering at the edge of the battlefield, staring at him. Why is he just sitting there? Shouldn't he be attacking us, or calling a retreat? Or something? That look he's giving me, I can't describe it, but it's making me uncomfortable. I still don't know what to think about what happened earlier. Then he was upon another Cyclonian, and there was no time to think about Dark Ace.

A sizzling blue energy bolt from the Condor whizzing past his head snapped Dark Ace out of his daze. Shaking his head, he turned his skimmer away from the battlefield and slammed the button on the control panel of his skimmer, signaling a retreat, sighing as he headed for his carrier, unable to stop thinking about a certain red-headed young Sky Knight. Enough of that. I'll have more than enough time to think before our next meeting...And plan.

Ravess hissed in frustration as the button on her consul began blinking red and beeping, signaling a retreat. Curse those wretched Storm Hawks, I didn't even take one out of commission! Snipe of all people managed to take out that blonde idiot! How humiliating! Turning her skimmer, she noticed Aerrow for the first time since she entered the battlefield, zipping around and taking out her troops. Growling, she notched an arrow to her bow, aiming it between his shoulder blades, confident in her ability to hit any target, even one moving as fast as Aerrow. The least this should do is cripple him. At best, he'll die. A blue bolt of energy from the Condor grazed Ravess' skimmer just before she released her arrow. She snarled as the energy bolt took out one of her own troops. I'll get him next time. For now I'll pull back. Ravess set off for the carrier, shooting down three missiles from the Condor intended for her and placing two Cyclonian fighters between her and any further energy bolts.

Aerrow steered his Cyclonian skimmer back towards the Condor, less exhilarated over the thrill of victory than he usually was, coming away from the field of battle more confused than anything else.


	2. Chapter 2

The Condor sailed sedately through the graying sky. Four days had passed since the Cyclonian attack. In those four days it had become apparent to the crew that Aerrow was unusually preoccupied, and all attempts to broach the subject were brushed aside.

Several misguided attempts to cheer him up by releasing a small army of chickens in the mess hall and painting Aerrow's face blue while he slept had also failed. And left Finn and Junko to face the wrath of Piper after some of the chickens had broken into her crystal chamber and messed up some of her samples. One of the chickens had even swallowed one of her more dangerous crystals, and everyone was keeping a wary lookout for the chicken with purple feathers that had apparently gained the ability to breathe fire. It had also taken quite a liking to Radarr, and as a result, the small co-pilot had hidden himself somewhere, and hadn't been seen since.

The paint incident had garnered no more than a slightly confused look from Aerrow upon arrival in the command deck as Stork started freaking out about "The Blue Death!" and passing out after howling out that they were all "Doomed!" Piper reacted less violently, merely wiping a smear of paint from his face and giving the two miscreants a rather pointed look.

Discouraged and fearful of Piper, Junko and Finn decided to put their 'cheer-up plans' on hold.

As darkness fell, Aerrow sat in his bunk, turning over the events of the battle in his mind, and more specifically, the bits involving Dark Ace and his apparent seduction. Was I misreading his intent? Was he truly attempting to do nothing more than distract me? He is my enemy. I can expect nothing but deceit from him. This was merely another cruel attempt to cloud my judgment.

"And I'm playing right into whatever twisted game he's playing."Aerrow murmured, recalling his recent mistakes and the distance he'd placed between himself and his crew. He sighed and shoved aside the strangely warm part of him that almost hoped Dark Ace's advances were genuine. Lying down, he resolved to focus on more important matters, such as defeating the formidable Ace.

The next morning, thick clouds were rolling in, obscuring the view from the command deck and slowing the Condor to a crawl.

Aerrow sat up in bed, plagued with vague dream-thoughts concerning the Dark Ace he was supposed to despise. Covering his face with his hands, he tried to drive away the traitorous thoughts.

Quiet footsteps broke him out of his inner torments. Dropping his hands from his face, he watched as Piper entered his room, settling beside him on the bed.

"Aerrow, I think we need to talk. I'm sorry for barging in so early in the morning, but I thought you might talk easier if Finn and Junko weren't running around causing trouble. Is that okay?" Please say yes.

Aerrow nodded, pulling himself further upright and tucking his knees to his chest. It couldn't hurt to talk a little. Could it?

"We're all worried about you, Aerrow. You've been so down lately. Could you tell me what's been bothering you?" She asked gently.

"It's…hard to explain," he said quietly, beginning to fiddle with the loose fibers at the edge of his coverlet, his other hand wrapped securely about his knees.

"Does it have something to do with the battle?" she prompted carefully.

Aerrow nodded, eyes directed at the fibers he was picking at.

"I-it's Dark Ace," he blurted hastily, grip tightening on his knees.

Piper nodded, and laid her hand gently on his shoulder.

"What about Dark Ace? Did something happen? You can tell me Aerrow. We've been friends for how long now?" She smiled encouragingly. Please tell me. I don't want you to suffer alone. Whatever it is, I'll do my best to help. I just can't bear to see you like this.

Aerrow glanced up from the fraying edge of his coverlet, offering her a wan smile. Steeling his nerves, he resolved to tell her the truth. She was his best friend after Radarr. If he were going to tell anyone, it would be her.

"I think that Dark Ace might…I think he…In the battle, he…" Aerrow trailed off, frustrated. How the hell can I explain this? 'I think he might desire me?' I can't say that.

Piper watched her friend struggle to find the words to explain his distress, tightening her grip on his shoulder. You can do this.

"In the battle, he acted…strange. He had the chance to kill me, but he didn't. He…" Bit me? Sucked at my neck? Aerrow trailed off, confusion dominating his features once more. "I don't really know what happened." He cast a distressed glance at a startled Piper, pulling his knees even closer to his chest.

"It' okay," Piper said, realizing that he was unable to go on. "You don't have to tell me everything right now. If you want to continue, you know where to find me." Dark Ace let him go? What the hell's going on? Piper patted Aerrow's knees, and rose.

Aerrow gave her a grateful smile, tension bleeding away.

"Thanks, Piper. I think I needed that." Even if I couldn't spit out everything.

Piper nodded warmly, and left Aerrow's bedroom, concern only slightly dissipated.


	3. Chapter 3

A little more than a week had passed since Aerrow's talk with Piper, and he still wasn't sure how he felt about the Dark Ace situation. So far, he'd managed to put those thoughts on the back burner, distracted by a run-in with the Raptors near Terra Saharr. They'd still managed to get those ant-gravity crystals Piper'd been looking for, and they hadn't had any trouble since.

Now, watching Finn and Junko wrestle with some new piece of junk they'd bought in the bazaar and hauled aboard before Piper could stop them, Aerrow wondered if he'd been overreacting earlier. Nothing had really changed. Dark Ace was still his enemy, Cyclonis was still attempting to take over all of Atmosia, and Aerrow's first responsibility was to his crew, his ship, and the citizens who relied upon them to stop Cyclonis in her tracks and save their Terras from subjugation. Still, some stray feeling tugged at his chest in spare moments, and he found himself keeping busier than usual.

Checking in on Piper, who had finally managed to apprehend the fire-breathing chicken that had been stalking the halls, he was surprised to find Radarr in the crystal room with her, passing little bits of corn to the caged creature. He shrugged when Aerrow gave him a questioning look, and he figured his buddy had befriended the chicken at some point.

Piper looked up from the anti-gravity crystals she'd been examining, flashing him a warm smile in greeting.

"Hey, Aerrow," she said. "You here to check on the crystals?" she asked, half-expecting his visit. Ever since that last battle with the Cyclonians, he'd been double-checking everything, working harder than usual. To be honest, she was still worried about him, but felt that he'd talk to her about it when he felt able to.

"Yeah," he replied. "We grabbed the right ones, right?"

"They're perfect," she confirmed, eyes sliding back towards the crystals. "With some modifications to the engines, we should be able to reduce our energy consumption exponentially!"

"That's great," Aerrow agreed. "Will we need to find someplace to stop for these modifications?" he asked, not sure how extensive these 'modifications' were going to be.

"Yes," Piper admitted. "We'll need to land somewhere and shut the engines down in order to work on them. The modifications aren't that extreme, but the areas we'll be working on can't be worked on without shutting them down, and if we shut them down, the ship can't fly, since we'll be working on the anti-gravity components of the engine, which are the portions that keep the ship afloat in the first place."

"Ah, sure," Aerrow accepted before she could get into even more technical detail. He'd caught the gist. "And, how long so you think this'll take?" he added, concerned about being grounded for an extended period of time.

"At least a week," Piper admitted. "The modifications are extremely complex, and even with Stork's help, this is going to take a lot of tricky work. The calibrations alone–"

"A week's fine," Aerrow interrupted, aware that Piper could spend hours on the subject, if allowed to go one.

"Great!" Piper exclaimed, eager to begin.

"But we need to find a safe place to hole up for that long first," Aerrow cautioned her. "We don't want to get in a tangle with the Cyclonians with the Condor grounded like that."

Piper nodded, sobering a bit at the thought of being caught like sitting ducks by the Talons. Especially with whatever had gone down between Aerrow and Dark Ace the last time they'd run into each other. She still wasn't sure what had happened exactly, but she could tell that Aerrow was still struggling with something, and it brought to mind Master Cyclonis' ruse in the guise of Lark, and the betrayal she'd felt after realizing that she'd been used.

For a moment she thought about saying something, but simply waved a bit as Aerrow exited the crystal chamber, Radarr at his heels, probably to try to find a safe place to land the Condor for a week.

If Aerrow felt like opening up to her again, and it seemed like he was falling into the same trap, she'd mention Lark, but until then, she felt that it was best to wait and see what happened. Aerrow didn't seem to hold any illusions as to Dark Ace's allegiance to Master Cyclonis, and his malicious intentions towards the Storm Hawks. At least, none that he'd mentioned...Frowning, she shook the thought from her head and returned to her anti-gravity crystals. She was sure everything would work out in the end, and in the meantime, she had some anti-gravity crystals to install, and an engine to modify.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I actually wrote this back in 2010, and I'm just now deciding to post it here on ao3. I should warn you, this is not yet completed, and I am that asshole who updates every, like, 2 years. However, I will eventually finish this. Promise.


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